This document discusses the benefits of making services accessible to people with disabilities. It notes that around 6% of university students have a declared disability. The legal framework, including the Equality Act, requires organizations to provide accessible services and prohibits discrimination. Specifically, the Equality Act defines disability broadly and requires reasonable adjustments to ensure equal treatment. Providing an accessible service is part of delivering first-class service to all customers.

1. Welcome Host
2 – Benefits of an accessible service

2. The benefits of an accessible service:
Why bother?
•Identify the benefits of providing an accessible
service
•Identify the legal framework
•Meeting legal requirements
•Delivering a first class service to all our users
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3. University Statistics – 6% declared
Disability Statistics 2012 2015 2016
Total number of students 19,997 25,950 29,002
Total Students with Declared Disabilities 906 1,610 1,950
A disability not listed 77 83 100
Autistic Spectrum Disorder 53 76
Blind / partially sighted 15 21 22
Deaf / hearing impairment 37 39 40
Information refused 5 4
Learning difficulty e.g. Dyslexia 612 941 1,058
Mental health difficulties 30 166 276
Multiple disabilities 13 51 75
Other disability 35 44
Unseen disability eg. diabetes, epilepsy 103 165 205
Wheelchair user/ mobility difficulties 19 51 50

4. Welcome All
Accessibility – why bother?
• People with disabilities form a significant proportion of
the UK population
• You have legal responsibilities as a service provider
under the Equality Act
• The reputation of your business is based on the service
standards you offer to all of your customers
• It’s part of our organisational culture – CSE, etc
• Morally & socially – why wouldn’t we want to treat
everyone as equals?!

5. TALK – Disability Rights Commission
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6. Welcome All
What are the Disability Discrimination Acts
and Equality Act?
• The Disability Discrimination Acts 1995 & 2005 (DDA) aimed
to reduce the discrimination that people with disabilities faced
• Replaced in Oct 2010 by Equality Act 2010
• Gives people with disabilities legal rights in a number of
areas, including access to goods, facilities and services,
employment and education
• Provides rights for people not to be directly discriminated
against or harassed because they have an association with a
disabled person. This can apply to a carer or parent of a
disabled person.

7. Welcome All
What does the Equality Act mean by
disability?
• Disability is defined as ‘a physical or mental impairment,
which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on
a person’s ability to carry out normal day-to-day
activities’

8. Welcome All
What does the definition include? (1)
• Blind and partially sighted people
• Deaf and hearing impaired people
• People who have mobility problems
• People with learning disabilities
• People with mental health conditions
• People with severe disfigurements

9. Welcome All
What does the definition include? (2)
• People with long-term health problems, e.g. diabetes
• People with progressive conditions, e.g. multiple
sclerosis
• People who have been diagnosed with HIV and cancer
• People with manual dexterity problems, e.g. typing
• People with continence problems

10. Other things to note
• Not just those you can see but those you may not
be aware of
• People who have had a disability in the past are
also covered, e.g. episodes of mental illness
• Other conditions where normal day to day activities
are impaired may be covered, e.g. severe back
pain, arthritis

11. Welcome All
What is discrimination?
• Under the Equality Act, discrimination occurs when:
– a disabled person or their carer is treated less
favourably than someone else
– the treatment is for a reason relating to the person’s
disability
– the treatment cannot be justified
The responsibility lies with you as an individual

12. The Law in Practice
• Reasonable adjustments vs. discrimination
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13. National Accessible Scheme
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14. Delivering a First Class Service
No handshake http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/6476415.stm
Big Steps http://www.nbcnews.com/widget/video-embed/451792963830
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